Elite GourmetEWM-9933 Triple 3 x 2.5 Quart Trays Buffet Server 7.5 Qt Oven Safe Pan Food Warmer, Temperature Control, Clear Slotted Lids, Perfect for Parties, Entertaining & Holidays, Stainless Steel

This buffet server is fantastic. This is the one you want to buy. If you are going to do any type of get-together/party and want to serve real, hot food. I was lucky to get it on sale. But as good as this is I would have paid full price for it. I actually bought two of them.I wanted for the first time in my life to host a Thanksgiving dinner. When I talked to anyone about it, they all said getting all the different foods to be hot at the same time was a real difficult feat to pull off. Especially if you were making some of the foods in advance.So I started reading lots of reviews and researched everything I could about serving Buffets. Each serving buffet I read about, said it was crucial to have the food hot first. THEN put it in the serving tray so it would stay hot. The Buffett is not designed to heat up the food. It is designed to maintain the food at the level of heat you start with.Well this model has steel serving trays that are sturdy just like a cooking pot it does not bend. I put the pre-prepared food in the serving tray covered it with Tin foil and then put it directly in the oven to heat it up. Once it was hot THEN I placed the serving tray in the Buffett warming tray. I served turkey, baked potatoes, candied yams, stuffing, roasted green beans with melted cheese, and gravy. Each and every dish was nice and hot even when people came back for seconds and thirds. This warming tray maintained the perfect temperature for 6 hours. Nothing was dried out, or over cooked or soggy. It was perfect. I could not have asked for more.1. Serving trays are made of steel very sturdy they do not bend and they are dishwasher safe easy to clean2. There are 3 steel serving trays, each tray has a see thru dome lid with a handle and a slot to put a serving spoon thru3. This unit has a light that tells you it is on or off so you are sure when it is working.4. It has 3 levels of settings for temperature control, low medium and high5. This buffet has a very short electric cord this is in fact a safety feature.6. This particular model can be used in 3 different waysA use serving trays with dome tops for Buffett as I didB you can cook a pasta dish in the large tray with handles and then serve directly from that trayC if you have hors d’oeuvres use the bottom tray that is the warming tray to keep them warm and serve them warmD. Read the manual it will take all of 3 minutes it is short and to the point explains everything clearly.At first glance it Is not obvious you have 3 different ways to use this Buffet. Once you understand how versatile it is you may decide like me, that one is not enough.

Excellent quality, lightweight, safe, keeps edible items warm .

Works well to keep appetizers for small social or family gatherings.

I love the design of this stainless steel buffet, with three 2 1/2 quart trays/bins that fit inside a larger oven safe tray/pan. Put a little water in the oven pan and all three buffet bins have even and consistent heating, keeping your food hot for later comers or second helpings. Load the trays in the kitchen and use the pan to easily carry all three bins to the serving area in one trip. Or use the oven pan alone for lasagna or a whole roast and fixings. When it comes to cleanup, the three bins stack so they can soak in the sink for the second dishwasher load. I also love the cove slots for spoon handles.It would take some space to store so if you plan on only occasional use, I would recommend keeping the box and storing on a closet or panty shelf. I plan to use it for weekly extended family dinners, so mine will stay out on the kitchen island most of the time. The larger size contributes to how well this buffet works as the long shallow bins have more heated surface area than designs with deeper bins that are only slightly smaller overall.I've only used it twice so far and the cord length is my only disappointment. I understand the shorter cords are considered a safety features to prevent cord "hooks" from pulling the tray; however, in my case the cord isn't long enough to reach the closest island outlet and an extension cord is required. If you were using it on a counter with a wall outlet, that wouldn't be a problem.UPDATED on Dec 17, 2012: After using at least weekly for over a year, I finally managed to break the plastic covers and called the manufacture to order some more. They were a little expensive and took a couple of weeks to get here, but customer service was good. While I was waiting on new covers, I used some aluminum foil as a reasonable substitute. I learned not to leave the covers over the bins when they are empty (they get too hot) and protect them from drops. The second set is lasting longer.

We are so happy that we bought these warming trays. We initially bought one, but liked it so much, we got another. We hadd 15 people over for Thanksgiving and these two trays held all the sides and kept them warm all afternoon. They made it much easier for guests to get their food, and a their desire. The trays look very nice and worked superbly. We received nothing but compliments about them. In fact, some of our guests intend to buy them. Rest assured that we'll be using them for the approaching holidays as well. Oh; great price too!

I bought this before my Thanksgiving dinner and it was so embarrassing because it didn’t keep the pasta and ravioli warm even after I put the pans in the oven to heat then and placed the trays back on the hot case but it was useless. I couldn’t enjoy the dinner because I was concerned about the food not staying warm. Very disappointed with this purchase!

I had ordered this for an event, I liked the clear dome with serving utensil slot and the different tray options 1,2,or 3 or warmer tray only. I had to borrow someones 3 section crock pot (an Amazon Basic) when it didnt arrive as estimated Such a blessing! Once it came I could see I liked the borrowed one much more. In comparison to the Amazon basic….PRO’sutensil slot, warmer tray OR heating for 1-3 itemsCON’sPlastic lids!! Flimsy trays, lids unconnected so need a place to set lids, all trays can only use one heat setting instead of each individually.IN GENERAL the Amazon Basic was super sturdy, GLASS lids disconnect for cleaning but lift staying attached, NO question on its ability to heat and individually. Id get separate warming tray if I needed that feature.

this one heats up unlike giantex i returned did not work at all!